


When There's Someone by My Side to Sing Along

by chromyrose



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Merpeople, Disabled Character, Foursome - M/M/M/M, Getting Together, Injury, M/M, Mythical Beings & Creatures, Physical Disability, Polyamory, Singing, Sirens
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-30
Updated: 2016-07-30
Packaged: 2018-07-23 02:04:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,485
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7462428
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chromyrose/pseuds/chromyrose
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"A Siren's song can soothe the most savage beasts of the sea, could temper the heart of any man or creature and -- especially worrisome -- could seduce any merperson who heard it, willing or not." </p>
<p>Daichi knows the risks, but he finds himself unable to leave the injured Siren behind; what comes of the decision to help him is something he could never have anticipated.</p>
            </blockquote>





	When There's Someone by My Side to Sing Along

**Author's Note:**

  * For [PrinceCat](https://archiveofourown.org/users/PrinceCat/gifts).



> I am so glad to finally be getting to post this fic; I've been sitting on it for months and I'm honestly rather proud of it, so I am excited for everyone to read it. And especially for you, PrinceCat, I hope it's what you've been hoping for!
> 
> The title comes from the Muppets' song "Life's a Happy Song". For easier visualizing, please note that Daichi has the tail of a longtail tuna, Suga has the tail of a koi fish, Asahi a whale shark, and Nishinoya an electric eel.

For all that the ocean's depths were full of creatures worth fearing and avoiding, there were times when Daichi needed distance from the pod and swam out to where the waters were dim, still, and cold. Generally it was discouraged for a mermaid or merman to wander the bottom of the sea without a companion at least, but at the age of twenty-one Daichi knew that he was more keenly aware of his surroundings than most. So, despite Asahi's habit of lingering by their door and giving Daichi reproachful looks every time he reached for his bag, he kept going out with increasing regularity.

The sea floor was equal parts chilling and fascinating; he could watch coral unfurl tentacles and snatch at food he couldn't see, chuckle at crabs that'd gotten themselves tangled in algae, happen upon limp, lifeless merman bodies –

Daichi froze when he spotted the figure, lain prone on a ledge of cliff. He felt his heart start racing, and just as quickly as he'd stopped in place, he was hurrying to the side of the other merman. Daichi gently turned him over so that he was lying on his back – and then he hesitated again.

A siren. All throughout Daichi's school feeds, there had been warnings about Sirens: a special kind of mermaid creature that could be just as dangerous as sharks, and were certainly far more insidious. Back when Daichi and Asahi were still guppies, all they were shown were blurred images of shadowy figures with glittering scales, and all they were told was that Sirens could get into your mind and make you think terrible, awful thoughts. That was enough to have Asahi recoiling from every shadow, much to Daichi's growing exasperation.

It wasn't until they were teenagers that the full explanation was offered: a Siren's song could soothe the most savage beasts of the sea, could temper the heart of any man or creature and, especially worrisome, could seduce any merperson who heard it, willing or not.

And now Daichi had no doubts the merman in front of him was one of them. Between his opalescent skin and iridescent scales he was glowing in the dark, practically a light source of his own. Daichi looked closer and saw the svelte curl of his tail, so much more flexible than any tail he'd ever seen, and the bright swirls of color: pearl white, deep onyx, vibrant crimson, and rich gold. He was beautiful, so beautiful...

Even the mottled blue bruise blooming over his ribcage was beautiful.

The voice in Daichi's head that sounded like Asahi was reminding him, ' _Some people are never seen again after Siren encounters,_ ' which was ironic given that Asahi would probably be babbling incomprehensibly if he was actually there, but the siren looked so frail that if it weren't for the subtle rise of his rib cage or flutter of his gills Daichi would have been convinced that he was dead.

Could this be a trap to lure in a naïve merperson? The idea certainly crossed Daichi's mind, but as he brushed a lock of silver hair away from the siren's face, he reminded himself that he wasn't the paranoid type. This merman looked nothing like the dangerous shadows from the school feeds; this merman needed to be taken someplace where he wouldn't be shark bait. With a swift slide of each arm, Daichi pulled the other man against his chest and noticed the mole beside his left eye as the siren's head nestled in the crook of his elbow.

Asahi was going to filet him when he got home with his guest, if he didn't pass out first.

–

Daichi wasn't sure if all sirens were light for their size or if it was just this one in particular, but getting him back to building where Daichi and Asahi lived wasn't difficult at all. The difficult part came when Daichi tried to retrieve his keys from the bag that rested against his hip while his arms were full of another person. In the end, Daichi realized he was just going to have to knock; whatever plan he'd concocted of sneaking this merman into his bedroom and then breaking the news to Asahi gently had to be tossed to the tides.

Shifting the weight of the siren so that his head rested on Daichi's chest freed his arm up enough that he could rap his knuckles against their front door repeatedly.

There was the sound of movement on the other side of the door, and then Asahi's muffled voice, “Who's there?”

“It's me,” Daichi barked. “Open up.”

The lock clicked audibly, and as he was pulling the door in, Asahi was already asking, “What happened to your keys, Dai...chi... –“

He trailed off, eyes as wide as sand dollars. Daichi briefly followed Asahi's gaze, as if it would lead to anything other than the merman in his arms, and then took in the stock-still terror on his best friend's face.

“Whoa, is that a _siren_?” A new voice interrupted, as a head popped up behind Asahi's shoulder. Nishinoya was practically climbing over Asahi to get a closer look at the body, and Daichi sighed.

“He's hurt, Asahi,” he said calmly, ignoring Nishinoya for the moment to make a tactical appeal to Asahi's compassion. “Let us in.”

Asahi's expression quavered; his eyes were still huge, but his brows sat heavily above them, and his lips were pulled down at the sides. From what Daichi could tell, it seemed less like Asahi willingly moved out of the doorway and more like he let Nishinoya pull him aside, but he did eventually make room for Daichi to swim right past them and into his bedroom.

He gently lay the siren down on his bed, taking care to keep his weight off of the side of his torso that was black-and-blue.

“You just found him like this?” Nishinoya asked, suddenly appearing by Daichi's side to gaze in awe at the siren. He reached out to touch the edge of the bruise, but Daichi quickly slapped his hand away.

“Don't poke other people's bruises, Noya. We're not all masochists like you.”

Nishinoya laughed and turned to the doorway, where Daichi was surprised to find Asahi hesitantly floating. He followed Asahi's gaze to the unconscious merman _again_ , and then sighed and swam to Asahi's side.

“Open your mouth,” he said, already pulling at Asahi's lips with his fingers. Asahi squeaked, but it had the intended effect, opening his mouth enough that Daichi could slip his ring finger inside and run it over the sharp points of his teeth. When he pulled his hand back, with blood oozing from a fresh cut, he waved it in Asahi's face. Asahi, meanwhile, was spitting into his own palm.

“Daichi, that's disgusting,” he whined. “Why did you want me to hurt you?”

“You didn't do anything, you oversized guppy,” he huffed. “No pressure, no biting, nothing, and your monstrous teeth still sliced my finger right open. You really think you couldn't take down an injured siren if it came down to it?” Daichi had his brow quirked, and waved his finger in front of Asahi's nose. Asahi frowned.

“Not if he gets the chance to sing first,” he argued. “Then we have no hope, and... Nishinoya. Nishinoya, you should go home. Just... Just in case.”

Nishinoya's laughter was booming. “Are you kidding, Asahi? How often do you get to see a Siren in the flesh? Poseidon, do you think they're all as pretty as him? I'd let him sing to me any day!”

Daichi had to stifle laughter at the look of pure horror on Asahi's face. Noya was beaming at them with a coy twinkle in his eye as he crowded Asahi in the doorway of Daichi's room, his small hands pressed to either of Asahi's stubbly cheeks. 

“Why do you look so surprised, Asahi? You _know_ I have a thing for pretty boys.”

Asahi squeaked. Daichi took that as his cue to give them their space, even though more than a small part of him wanted to watch Asahi struggle through being flirted with. The bright blush on his face under Noya’s palms would have to be enough. 

Daichi sat on the edge of his bed and watched the way the siren's gills fluttered with each of his breaths. He really was as pretty as Nishinoya had said, though Daichi wasn't sure he'd go as far as to say he'd let this Siren sing for him. Even so, he couldn't help but wonder what his voice sounded like; would it be light and soft to match his appearance, or deep and husky with raw sex appeal? He rubbed over the cut on his finger, hissing a little at the pain but realizing it was probably only a fraction of what this merman must have been through. 

“Asahi,” he called, turning around to interrupt whatever was going on between him and Nishinoya. Daichi had known Asahi his entire life, and Asahi had always been responsible and caring, but Noya had the power to distract him like nothing else could. Daichi had unfortunately looked over just in time to see Asahi squirming playfully away from Noya's dramatically puckered lips which were teasingly close to his jaw, but not close enough even for an accidental brush. 

When they heard Daichi, Asahi raised his shoulders as if he'd been reproached, while Noya just sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck. 

“Right, more important things happening. Go on, Asahi, you're the only one of us who knows how to take care of anything.” 

“I-I'm not a medic...” he protested, even as Nishinoya pushed him forward to propel him through the water to Daichi's bedside. When his caudal fin bumped into the edge of the bed, Asahi sighed and looked down at the siren with equal parts fear and concern. “But I guess...” 

His big hands were gentle as they touched the siren's face, followed the soft line of his jaw down to his neck, checked his gills as he passed them, lingered over his jugular vein, and then skirted his fingertips along the edge of the bruise. Asahi looked to Daichi and without words Daichi knew he what he was asking. He nodded and saw firm resolve on Asahi's face before he turned back to the siren and brushed his fingertips oh so carefully over the bruises. 

“I don't think his ribs are broken... Like I already said, I'm not a medic, but it doesn't feel like anything is wrong. He probably just hit something really, _really_ hard? And then if it threw him backwards he probably hit his head, too... We won't really know until we ask him, so... I think we need to wake him up.” 

Asahi was biting his lip, and his fingers had settled on the siren's forearm when he looked at Daichi again for agreement. Daichi had secretly wanted to wake the siren up once he found him, and wanted to agree readily now, but he had to remember that for as peaceful and innocent as he looked while unconscious, the siren could still bring them harm. 

Before Daichi had time to think about it, Nishinoya made the decision for him; he approached the bed with his hair standing on-end and crackling. 

“Not too much!” Asahi said quickly, and Noya nodded before letting his fingers barely skim over the surface of the siren's chest.

He groaned. Daichi sat up a little more at attention, saw from the corner of his eye the way Noya leaned in with anticipation, the same anticipation that had Asahi shifting back. 

“Urgh,” the siren croaked. “I feel like I got skewered by a swordfish.” Even though his voice was deep and throaty from disuse, Daichi heard the song in its cadence. 

“You kind of look like it, too,” Nishinoya agreed. Daichi punched his shoulder none too gently and moved a little closer to the siren. 

“Where do you feel pain?” 

“Everywhere?” the siren responded uncertainly, his arms and neck moving slowly as he sat up to get a look at himself. “Mostly on my chest, but I guess I can see why, now. And my head, too.” 

“Nishinoya, you should go get him some ice,” Asahi interrupted quickly. He was giving Nishinoya a Significant Look, but Noya just stuck his tongue out. 

“Why don't you go, Asahi? I want to introduce myself to my new friend.” 

Daichi managed to catch the look of hurt and betrayal on Asahi's face before he jerked his head away and swam out the door. It was so alien to see Asahi with that kind of expression that, for a moment, Daichi wanted to follow him out of the room and check on him. But the siren's melodious voice arrested his attention again. 

“Is he okay...?” 

Nishinoya scoffed, waving his hand airily. “That's just Asahi. He gets really hung up on little things and makes a big deal of them in his head. It's probably a good thing he's going to get the ice, since he could stand to cool off.” 

The siren laughed at Nishinoya's pun, which had him practically preening. That annoyed Daichi, and he wanted to ask Noya what had gotten into him that he was being this casually mean about Asahi. But he had a feeling the answer to that was obvious, and as much as he was frustrated with Nishinoya's antics, Daichi could sympathize. 

“I'm Nishinoya Yuu, by the way. Most people just call me Noya.” 

The siren smiled, and it seemed to make his entire face glow. 

“Sugawara Koushi,” he introduced himself. It chimed like bells the way he said it, sounding light and airy; Daichi was just grateful to have a name for the face. “But I prefer Suga. Are you the one who found me, Noya?” 

Nishinoya threw his arm around Daichi's shoulder, and poked him in the chest. “Nope, that was all Daichi. He's the strong, fearless leader kind of guy. I'm more of the funny commentary and stupid ideas kind of guy.”

Suga's gaze moved from Nishinoya to Daichi, and he was looking him right in the eyes as he repeated his name in a soft murmur. His eyes were unlike any others Daichi had ever seen; rather than a single color, they were blend of gray and hazel, with flecks of green and amber running throughout. They were so transfixing that Daichi nearly missed what Suga said.

“Daichi... I think it suits you, somehow. Even though we just met, so that's probably a weird thing to say. Thank you for rescuing me, Daichi.” 

When the words belatedly registered in his mind, Daichi felt his cheeks start to burn. 

“It was nothing,” he replied quickly, after what was probably an awkward silence. “I couldn't just leave you there.”

“Sure you could have,” Suga countered as he tucked a lock of silver hair behind his ear fin. He leaned back and laid himself down again with a wince, then sighed and smiled at Daichi. “I'm guessing this is your bed, too? I sure owe you a lot now, don't I?” 

Nishinoya laughed, and Daichi really hoped it wasn't because his face was getting redder. 

“You don't owe me anything, Suga,” he insisted in his firmest voice. “We just want to see you get better.” 

“I'll work on it, Captain,” Suga giggled. He sighed again and let his body relax on the bed. The sound of water stirring could be heard from the hallway, and Asahi returned to the entryway of Daichi's room a moment later. When Daichi looked up, he saw Asahi's steely expression. 

“I brought the ice,” he said simply, swimming over to the bedside and laying an ice pack down next to Suga. “I also brought some prawn. I don't know if you like it, but I was thinking you probably haven't eaten in a long time, so...” 

Suga blinked slowly, and then gave Asahi a warm, dazzling smile. Asahi's expression slipped back into something reassuringly familiar: a unique combination of confusion and sheepishness. 

“Thank you so much. Asahi, right? I'm actually starving. I bet you're the brains behind this whole operation.”

Noya sniggered, but before Daichi could reach over and smack him, he added, “No, no, Asahi's definitely the _heart_.” 

He smiled adoringly at Asahi, then turned back to Suga. “Actually, we're accepting applications for a brain right now, since Daichi's the brawn and I'm the life of the party.”

Suga laughed again, softer this time, muffled around a mouthful of shrimp. Daichi couldn't help but think that this was the most beautiful merman he'd ever seen, and that his terrible manners somehow only made him cuter. The school feeds would have to be updated; it wasn't just a Siren's song that was alluring, it was literally their everything. 

“I don't know if I can be the brains,” Suga said when he'd swallowed his bite. “I was the one foolish enough to be swimming around dark waters alone.” 

Asahi gave Daichi a very pointed look, but when he spoke, it was to Suga. “You're not the only one. And at least you can protect yourself.”

Suga just shrugged a little sheepishly, and buried one of his cheeks in the soft algae pillow. 

“Are you feeling tired?” Nishinoya asked. “You just woke up, Suga!” 

“Let him be, Noya,” Asahi said with a little frown. “Pain can take a lot out of a body. But, um... you should finish eating. And I'll get some medicine, so just... hold on.” 

Once again, Asahi fled from the room in a manner befitting his powerful tail and cowardly nature. 

Suga looked at Daichi, a small furrow in his brows. “Does... Does Asahi not like me?” 

_Beautiful and perceptive_ , Daichi realized with an internal sigh. Outwardly, he tried to project positivity. 

“Asahi's just shy around new people.”

“It doesn't help that you're a Siren, either,” Nishinoya added. Daichi wished he had the power of remote strangulation, or at least that someone would have managed to teach Noya some tact by the time he was twenty. But judging by his expression, Noya knew exactly the sort of impact what he was saying would have. With two pairs of eyes on him, he shrugged. “You know, super dangerous to mermen, can put us under your powers of suggestion? He's barely comfortable enough in his own head, so the idea of having a stranger poke around in there terrifies him.” 

Daichi watched as Suga seemed to wilt into the bed, the tail of a prawn hanging out of his closed lips. He nibbled at it slowly, and when it was done, he looked over at Daichi. 

“I guess I should re-double my thanks, if that's the risk you were willing to take in order to help me.”

He was smiling, but it was dimmer than before. Daichi sighed and reached out for Suga before he could think better of it, resting his hand on his shoulder and squeezing. 

“Stop thanking me. You can't help who you are any more than the rest of us. Asahi will come around, he's just... sort of fragile. And stubborn.”

“That's an understatement,” Noya scoffed. “I've been flirting with him for literal _years_ , but he keeps convincing himself that's not what's happening because he doesn't think he's worthy of it, or something.” 

“To be fair, you're a flirtatious person,” Daichi cut in, his instinct to defend Asahi too strong to fight. “But no, you're right. Once Asahi's convinced himself of something, it's hard to change his mind.” 

Suga looked thoughtful, with his brows hanging heavy over his eyes. Daichi didn't know him well enough to guess what he was thinking, so he could only hope there was no guilt there. There was only so much emotional sensitivity he could handle at a time. 

Fortunately Asahi returned during this lull in conversation, so Daichi could allow himself to believe he didn't hear anything of what they'd said about him. He left the capsule of pain relieving medicine on the empty part of Suga's plate. 

“I hope this helps,” he murmured, propelling himself a little away from the bed when he was done. “We should probably let you rest. Though Daichi will probably want to stay with you?” 

Daichi nodded, and Asahi gave him a small smile. Daichi could see how hard Asahi was trying to be okay with the situation, and it made his heart feel a little squeezed. 

“Come on, Noya.,” he said as he turned to him. This time Nishinoya didn't deny Asahi, and he beamed and swam over to his side, tickling Asahi's tail with his long, thin fin. Asahi swatted at him, and they left the room together with quiet laughter between them. Daichi smiled at their backs, and then turned to his guest. Suga was smiling too, a little tug of his lips; the pill was already gone from the plate. 

“You don't have to watch me sleep,” he whispered, his voice like honey. “Go, join your friends.” 

Daichi chuckled, lowered himself into a chair, and shook his head. “What kind of hero would that make me?” 

Suga's light, sleepy giggle made something in Daichi's stomach flutter, and he watched Suga slowly blink his eyes, fighting to stay awake a second longer. 

“Mine,” he mumbled as he drifted off, the shadow of a smile lingering on his face. 

–

Daichi had tried to fight off sleep, but when he slowly realized he was waking up, he groaned as it struck him that he failed to keep vigil. It took another moment for him to remember what he'd been watching over as he blinked the sleep out of his eyes and rolled out the kink in his neck. 

Suga was still on his bed when he looked over, but more awake now, sitting upright with a book open in the curl of his gleaming tail. He had a page pinched between his long fingers that his eyes were skimming over, his bottom lip drawn under his teeth. 

“What've you got there?” Daichi asked, cringing internally at how throaty and rough his voice came out. How long had he been sleeping? 

Suga looked up immediately, surprise giving way to a small, sheepish smile. He let go of the page to hold up the book, and Daichi recognized the cover; it was one of his old textbooks, from upper-level school feeds. 

“I got curious,” Suga explained slowly. “About what Nishinoya said, about why Asahi was so scared of being around me? And I saw this book in your shelf, and I just wanted to see for myself, you know, what you were taught about us.” 

Daichi pulled himself up a little straighter. He deliberated moving to Suga's side, but ultimately decided to get more out of him before he made at attempts at comfort; after all, he knew what was written in that book. 

“Mhmm. And I'm guessing you found it...?” 

Suga laughed, a little forced, and one of his elegant hands cupped the back of his neck. “I know it makes sense to warn people when they're susceptible to bad influences, but it's not like a Siren is going to go after a _kid_. We've got standards, you know. I mean, as a whole. There's probably a bad chum or two in the bunch, but...” 

He couldn't hold himself back anymore, so Daichi swam to Suga's side and put his arm on his shoulder firmly.

“You don't have to explain yourself to me, or anyone. We know you're not a bad person, Suga. Just... be patient with Asahi. I'm sure he wants to like you, but he was scared of his own shadow when we were guppies, he's got a long history of paranoia. He'll wake up to reality any minute now.” 

“I sure hope not. I mean, not literally; it's the middle of the night now. You should be sleeping too, Daichi.” 

Daichi shook his head, even though there was a part of him unopposed to twining his tail with Suga's and settling down in bed for a few more hours. 

“I'd rather learn about Sirens, for real. From you.” 

Suga turned to face him with his head tucked close to his neck, a crooked smile pulling at his lips. He laid the book down over his shimmering scales again, open to the page he'd been reading from, and cleared his throat as he turned back to it. 

“Well, you know, the information in here isn't wrong. All the objective stuff about iridescent scales and hypnotic songs, that stuff is true. It's just the bias... And I guess it makes sense for curious guppies to be warned, but I'd like to think that most of us just want to be friends. Though I have my own biases about that...” 

Suga was looking down at the book in a way that made Daichi think he wasn't seeing the words, but rather something in his mind's eye. He wondered if he should prod Suga for more, because his silence seemed heavy with unspoken words. He managed to put together a sentence that he hoped was just a gentle nudge.

“How do you mean?” 

Suga sighed, and then turned to look Daichi right in the eyes again. In the low light of Daichi's bedroom, Suga was glowing the way he had in the ocean's depths, but the light reflecting off of him had a warm glow now. 

“You'd say I'm stunningly beautiful, wouldn't you, Daichi?” He fluttered his eyelashes slowly, and somehow the question and the gesture managed to come across as both teasing and serious. Ducking his head a bit as an instinctive way to hide the blush he felt on his face, Daichi shrugged. 

“I... I'm pretty sure that's not the sort of thing you say to a man you just met, but... yes. You really are.” 

Suga's smile was wide enough to wrinkle his eyes, but they still seemed infinite when Daichi looked back up. “I think you are too, Daichi. For an _ordinary merman_.” 

The laugh that followed was light and fleeting, like the bubbles between them whenever someone shifted an arm or flicked a fin. Daichi was positive the red on his face could easily be made out even in the dimness of nightfall. Suga didn't comment on it, thankfully. Instead, he seemed to sober up again, and continued.

“But for me, I guess the beauty really is only skin deep. I can't sing.” 

“You can't – what?” Daichi echoed, surprised by the sudden admission. “What does that mean?” 

Suga's hand moved up to his throat in an unconscious motion, and his shoulders shrugged. 

“I mean, of course I _can_ sing, in a making-music-with-my-voice capacity. But my voice doesn't have the entrancing, hypnotic power a Siren's voice is supposed to have. Does that make sense?” 

The truth dawned on Daichi slowly; something clicked in his mind. 

“That's why a sea creature was able to attack you. Why you weren't able to subdue it, because you _can't_...” 

Suga nodded once, a sad smile on his face. “Exactly.”

“Is that kind of thing common...?” Daichi couldn't help but ask; he'd never heard of a Siren who couldn't sing. Probably no one in their pod ever had. 

“In a pureblood, absolutely not. In a half-Siren, like me? They told me it happens really, really rarely. I didn't inherit much from my mom, except for probably the most important thing – her ordinary voice.”

Daichi's mind was reeling, off-balance as he hurried to reorganize his thoughts. So Suga's parentage was mixed; he was only half-Siren. So despite his ineffable beauty, the unique coloring of his scales and hair and eyes, the beauty mark that all but assured he was a Siren through and through... he wasn't, and he never posed any harm to any of them. With that realization came relief, until Daichi felt guilty for being happy about something that obviously caused Suga pain.

“It's not so bad, having an ordinary voice,” Daichi said reassuringly. “I find it gets the job done pretty well. Not that I'd call your voice ordinary, even if it doesn't do what you want it to. I've never heard any voice as beautiful as yours...” 

Suga was silent for a moment, before he looked up at Daichi again with a smile bright on his face. He shoved him on the shoulder, not very gently, and giggled. “Are you this charming with all the mermaids? Or maybe you prefer mermen, if you live with Asahi and Noya.” 

Now Daichi was the one laughing, shaking his head. “Noya doesn't actually live here, he just comes over to harass Asahi. With increasing regularity; if he keeps it up it won't be long before I start charging him rent.”

“And Noya really loves Asahi, doesn't he?” 

“He has to, to have kept this up for as long as he has. Not that I can blame him, I guess. When you get to know Asahi, he's basically the most thoughtful guy you'll ever meet.” 

“So you know him well?” Suga murmured, resting his head on Daichi's shoulder. Daichi could feel his own heart thud hard against his ribcage, but appreciated the warmth all the same. 

“Since the day we hatched. Our pod is pretty small, so eggs are kept together in a hatchery to be taken care of so that more of them survive. We were in the hatchery together, our eggs were right beside each other's in the nest. I think they knew we were both supposed to hatch at about the same time? From what the older mermaids told us, when I started hatching first, I cracked Asahi's egg, and made him stir and start hatching, too. He had my fingers in his mouth when they finally came to get us out of the egg goop.” 

“Awww,” Suga sighed. “You both came into the world with a built-in best friend.” 

“Something like that,” Daichi agreed with a fond smile. “It hasn't always been easy since we our personalities are so different, but being around Asahi is comforting. It makes growing up seem less ominous. Though if you ask him, he'll probably say I'm the one keeping us both afloat.” 

Another laugh, and Suga seemed to be snuggling closer to Daichi. Daichi stammered a little incomprehensibly, and Suga opened his eyes to look at him. 

“Is this okay? Or have I been misreading the situation?” 

“N-No, you're fine,” he managed. “Are you sure I won't hurt your bruise...?” 

Content, Suga shut his eyes again. “I'm sure. Let's sleep, Daichi.”

The sight of Suga curled up on his arm made Daichi's heart feel too big and too warm for his chest, and he smiled. He pulled the book out of Suga's lap and tossed it aside, then rested beside Suga and shut his eyes, too. There would be time to question what this all meant later.

–

Days passed, and Suga's condition improved steadily. He shared his secret with Asahi and Nishinoya the day after he'd told Daichi – Nishinoya had reacted first, with a pout and a huff. 

“And here I was thinking I'd finally get to know what being seduced feels like.” 

Suga had laughed at his wrinkled nose and crossed arms. “Ah, don't worry, Noya. Not all seduction comes in song form, you know. I'll let you keep my shiny scales when they fall out, how's that?”

Nishinoya then laughed too, his expression collapsing back into his usual broad grin, and he elbowed Asahi in his ribs. 

“See, you silly guppy, there was nothing to be scared of in the first place.”

For his part, Asahi had just looked contrite, gazing at Suga through his lashes with his head tilted downwards and a frown on his face. 

“I'm sorry if I made you feel like you had to tell us your secret, Suga,” he'd mumbled, a hand coming up to tug anxiously at his long ponytail. 

“That's not it, Asahi. Yeah, it's true that your caution was a factor in me saying something, but you were just looking out for the people you loved. And whether or not you knew the truth, that doesn't change that I don't have the powers you thought I did. So telling you was probably going to relieve your anxiety, and I had nothing to lose by being honest with the people who saved me.” 

At the time Asahi hadn't responded, but Daichi certainly noticed the way he stayed close to Suga's side the following days; whether it was out of a sense of guilt, or a real burgeoning friendship between them, Daichi wasn't sure. Either way, he was grateful that Suga and Asahi were growing close. 

And when he got the sense that they were close enough that Asahi wouldn't freak out alone in Suga's company, he excused himself to make a much needed run for food, since their supply was running low. Nishinoya had gone back to his place the day before, to make sure his roommate didn't report him as a missing merman in his absence. The last thing they needed was some kind of police investigation while they were technically harboring a menace. 

When he got home, he must have managed to enter the apartment quietly, because it seemed neither Suga nor Asahi were aware of his presence. He could hear their conversation as it drifted out of his bedroom. 

“If Nishinoya likes you, and he obviously does, and you like him, what's there to be scared of?” Suga was asking; Daichi wondered if his face was playful or serious, as his tone didn't carry as well as his voice did. Feeling a little shameful, he remained perfectly still in the hopes of hearing Asahi's answer.

“There's no me without Daichi. Every brave thing I've ever done is because of him.” 

“So, what, you think Noya actually likes Daichi?” 

“No! But that would make things easier... no. I just. I've never not shared something with Daichi. I don't even know who I am without him. Just a coward, probably. A guppy.” 

A little stab of guilt cut through Daichi as he realized just how often he called Asahi a guppy; Nishinoya practically used it as a term of endearment more often than he used Asahi's actual name. But Daichi had never considered that what they were saying out of affection was coming into Asahi's ears as a put-down. 

For a moment, Daichi didn't hear anything. His hands were holding his keys tightly, and he was trying to convince himself to drop them, to make noise and pretend he was just coming in. If he did that, though, there was no way he could acknowledge what Asahi had just said, and he didn't want to make their conversation end on that somber note. 

Before the silence grew to be suffocating, a strange noise started coming from his bedroom. It took Daichi a moment to recognize Suga's voice, because while the cadence was familiar, the words weren't. And then it dawned on him, as the voice grew louder: Suga was _singing_. 

The song had no words, just a modulation of his voice, soft _ahs_ that climbed up and down the scale. It was a haunting tune, Daichi thought, one that seemed to grab at something deep inside him and hold. But the hold was less of a grip, the closer he listened, and more of a caress. 

He wished he could see the look on Suga's face when he finished; all he could hear after the song whispered out into nothing was Asahi. 

“Are... Are you _sure_ your voice doesn't...?” 

Suga's laugh was hearty as it echoed down the short hallway. “If it did, you'd be asleep now. That song was just a lullaby, Asahi. Don't tell me you're having those kinds of thoughts about it!” 

“No!” Asahi squawked, obviously lying. He cleared his throat and Daichi could perfectly picture his expression. “That was just... really beautiful, Suga.” 

“Thank you. My dad used to sing that one to me; it's basically the first song every Siren learns. Hearing it is always really comforting for me, and I thought maybe it might do the same for you. Did it work?” 

“I loved it,” Asahi answered earnestly. “And Daichi and Nishinoya would love it, too. You should sing something for them.” 

“Mmmm, sure. Now that I've sung for you, first.” 

Asahi made another squawking noise, and Suga was laughing again; Daichi took his cue this time, dropping his keys on the stone floor and making a lot of noise picking them back up. When Asahi hurried out to meet him in the hall, then took the bags of food and offered to put them away so that Daichi could sit with Suga, Daichi felt a little more shame for his snooping. So, when he clapped Asahi on the shoulder to thank him for the kindness, he let his hand linger there a little longer and squeeze him a little tighter. 

–

Noya was back in their apartment the same evening, curling his tail around the end of Daichi's bed while he sat at Suga's caudal fin. He returned bearing the news that Ryuu's sister was visiting and he wanted to give them space, but Daichi was skeptical; Nishinoya's absolute adoration of Saeko had been pretty well known amongst their schoolmates. 

Though, Daichi mused, Nishinoya never quite looked at the older Tanaka sister the way he was marveling at the scale Suga'd pressed in his hand. He kept turning his wrist to make it catch the light, shoving it under Asahi's nose, or Daichi's, close enough that all he could make out was a shimmer, before he pulled it back into his chest and hoarded it. 

The remains of dinner were on plates piled on Daichi's messy desk, and not even Asahi seemed to be quite willing to take them to the kitchen. Everyone had settled in around the bed, where Suga's bruises had faded from black-and-blue to yellow-green. It had never come up, but Daichi wondered how much longer Suga would want to stay with them once he was fully healed. 

Suga inhaled deeply. Daichi looked up in time to see the way his gills fluttered with the breath, and to notice the heavy set of Suga's eyebrows. He watched him breathe deeply again.

“Everything okay, Suga?” 

Suga looked up with wide eyes, and even though Daichi had probably been staring into those exact eyes for the majority of the last week, something about them looked different. _Fear_ , Daichi realized, but then amended, _just uncertainty?_

A low hum started in Suga's throat, and when he parted his lips, he was carrying a tune. Daichi was able to tear his gaze away long enough to look at Noya, gaping at Suga, and Asahi, biting on his lip with his hands clasped together, before Suga's voice drew him back in. 

It was a different song from whatever Daichi had overheard him signing to Asahi, though again it lacked for comprehensible words. While snooping, Daichi hadn't been able to see Suga's face as sang, and now he drank it in: eyes that closed for long stretches of time, before opening for fleeting moments as if he was looking for a reaction. Fingers that were interlaced loosely, unlike Asahi's tight fist, hovering by his collarbones while his elbows rested on his knees. His hair seemed fluffier, more waterswept as he sang, and his scales seemed similarly brighter. Daichi wondered if this wasn't some sort of hypnosis at work, even though Suga said that wasn't possible. 

The song was beautiful, and so was Suga's voice, but every so often his voice would quaver on a note, and take it down from something ethereal to just a boy, singing in a small, quiet room. Daichi's blood felt too warm for his body whenever the bits of Suga broke through this way, like his heart was growing several sizes. 

The song ended with one such tremble, and then the ephemeral moment was over. The silence in the bedroom washed over Daichi like waking from a long sleep, and he found his hand was reaching out of its own volition. He pulled it back quickly, hoping no one had noticed, but saw Asahi stifle a giggle into his interlocked hands. Daichi tried to shoot him a terrifying look, but Suga's song seemed to drain him of all his power. 

“Whoa,” Nishinoya was first to break the silence. “Whoa, Suga, that was incredible!” He was already floating in the water above Suga, his hair crackling with electricity. “And you're telling me that's a voice that _doesn't_ work?!” 

Suga smothered the lower part of his face with his hand, but Daichi could still see pink fill in his cheekbones. He reached out intentionally this time, and nudged Suga's hand away with his own. 

“You are incredible, Suga.” 

Suga's grin was shaky, and his eyes looked glassy from so close. He laughed and hugged himself. “That wasn't... that wasn't totally weird, or anything?” Suga asked breathily. 

“What if it was?” Daichi replied immediately, unable to keep a smile off of his own face. “What are you going to do, take it back?” 

“You can't!” Nishinoya insisted. It looked like he was trying to wrap his tail around Suga's torso. “That was the best moment of my entire life!” 

Asahi grabbed Nishinoya under his arms and pulled him away. Rather than protest, Noya turned to face Asahi with the same indignance and started threading his ponytail through his fingers. 

“Tell him, Asahi. Tell him that was the best moment of my life.” 

Asahi blinked owlishly, and then turned to Suga. “Nishinoya would like for you to know that that was the best moment of his life.” 

“Only so far,” Suga responded, his voice back to playful as he waggled his eyebrows at Asahi. A moment later, he was suddenly sober again, and taking a deep breath.

“Okay, so, I'm not really traditional in a lot of ways,” Suga started, looking down at his hands. Daichi shifted a little closer, and Suga lifted his tail to make room. “I can't live as a regular merman, because I look like a Siren. But I don't fit in with other sirens because I can't sing the way they can. And an existence like that gets pretty lonely...

“And then one day I wake up, and I'm here. Taken in by three guys who don't care if I'm a siren or a jellyfish or a sea urchin, just that I'm someone who needs taking care of. And... wow, this is really embarrassing, but I never knew what it felt like to be taken care of before? Or to just be 'Suga' and not 'that one who can't sing.'

“So, I guess what I'm trying to say is... is it any surprise that I fell fins over gills for you?”

“ _You_ meaning...?” Daichi trailed off uncertainly, trying to stop his heart from celebrating just yet. 

Suga tilted his head, then pointed at Daichi. Then pointed at Nishinoya. Then pointed at Asahi. 

“I did mention I wasn't very traditional, didn't I?” He laughed timidly. “I... that song. That was a Siren courtship song. Just. So you know...” 

There was a silence in the room, heavy with the thoughts everyone was undoubtedly stewing in. From the corner of his eye Daichi could see Nishinoya begin to open his mouth, and he reacted immediately. Since the moment he'd brought Suga home, Nishinoya had been the one making the first move. _Not this time._

Daichi seized Suga's wrist and used it to pull himself in closer, and let his nose bump Suga's the moment before he finally (finally!) kissed him. 

When he heard Nishinoya wolf-whistle, he pulled away sheepishly. Daichi saw the way Suga's eyes were glittering this close, when the bubbles they exhaled were popping against each other's noses. He smiled, and Suga beamed.

“Us too, Asahi!” Noya laughed, grabbing Asahi's long face and pulling it up to meet his puckered lips. Asahi was frozen stiff in shock, but when he melted against Nishinoya a moment later, Daichi heard him moan. Suga probably did too, judging by his giggle. 

After that, Nishinoya declared they were going to have a kissing party, that he wanted to taste each of their lips and learn all of their flavors. With a ruddy face, Asahi called him _insatiable_ , and Noya agreed and kissed his nose. 

But true to Nishinoya's word, before the night ended Daichi had gotten a chance to kiss them all; Suga's soft, supple mouth, Nishinoya's thin electric lips, and even Asahi's semi-permanent frown. His heart had taken up new lodgings somewhere in his belly, warm and protected and fluttering like a jellyfish. And when night did come, and Asahi was bullied into bringing his mattress into Daichi's room so the four of them could attempt to lay flush like sardines, Daichi drifted off wondering how his dreams could be any better than his reality.

**Author's Note:**

> Please let me know what you think with kudos or a comment!


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